But Anne didn't find any strangeness in Rose's choice. Gently, she said "There are no set rules in love.
There had been stranger things. In the end, it all comes down to one's own choice. What other people
may find unreasonable might not be so bizarre for someone else."
Anne and Rose's bond as sisters were slowly but steadily being mended as the days passed, like
winter trees waking up to spring. At that moment, it had felt right to speak for her.
"You're right," Selma answered with a wry smile. She too had changed a lot, and was still changing
even now. She had realized that her thoughts were a too little old-fashioned, and she was learning to
accept things with a more open mind.
"Mom, it's done." Just as the three of them were thinking about what gifts they should give Rose and
Mark, Eddy called.
There was expectation in his young voice. He looked at Anne with his big watery eyes, silently
demanding her attention.
As they all looked at the boy, they were filled with awe.
It had only been ten minutes, but Eddy had already finished three sets of jigsaw puzzle and another set
of building blocks.
Even some adults found the tasks challenging and would take time to complete them all, but Eddy had
breezed through them. It was child's play to the boy. Anne felt pride spread through her chest at her
son's little feat, but said nothing about it and merely smiled.
Bending down, she held Eddy's hand and watched his eyes light up with joy, his earlier dissatisfaction
replaced with a big, almost cheeky grin.
"You and your little tricks. Edward, it's good to see how quick you think of ways to get praise, but don't
do it too much. You might get in trouble if you take things too far," Kevin said, taking a wrongful
amusement at his own son's displeasure. Call him childish, but if he didn't know any better, he would
have already taken serious offense at how easily Eddy got Anne's love. And yet here he was, the
husband, going through unthinkable lengths just to please his wife only to get leftovers while his son
happily basked in his mother's affection.
"What are you saying?" Two stern voices asked in unison as two pairs of eyes narrowed at Kevin.
He had almost flinched at the bite of their glares. His eyes went from one woman to another and found
no sympathy. They crowded around Eddy protectively, as if Kevin was the enemy. He wanted to
complain. How was this fair? It was like the people around him were steadily forgetting him in favor of
the little boy in their arms. And to think that he had been with them far longer, he felt more depressed.
Sighing, he shut his mouth and resigned himself to his fate for what would seem to be a long, long
time. He'd just go to Sam. At least he would listen and understand the woes of a spurned husband.
Bottles of beer lay sprawled on the spacious balcony of the Feng Family. Two men were sitting on the
floor, their shoulder hunched forward and uncaring of their appearances.
There was no trace of embarrassment on them. The sun was setting, and dusk painted a heavy curtain
of soft orange hues.
More bottles of wine were piled haphazardly behind Kevin and Sam. By now, both of them were more
than a little drunk.
Despite his intoxication, Kevin had still managed to look arrogant. It was almost comical how he held
on to his persona. Sam was more laid-back, just sitting quietly.
"Sam, Mark is getting married. You know, I have hated him for a long time," Kevin suddenly said. He
was not usually one for talking, but the alcohol had loosened his tongue. Besides, Sam was one of his
best friends, and he didn't feel the need to hide his feelings.
However, to Kevin's disappointment, Sam, his trusted friend who shared both life's joys and bitterness
with him, burst out laughing. His displeasure was almost enough to sober him up.
"What are you laughing at?" Kevin asked in discontent.
Sam took a moment to catch his breath and asked, "What? Are you afraid that he would take Anne
away?"
"Why would I be? Anne is mine. No one else can have her," Kevin said, his words filled with
confidence.
This particular arrogance of his was something that ticked Sam at times. He took another sip of wine
and said, "You're lucky that she likes you. If not, I doubt you would dare to be this presumptuous. You'd
be nothing but a blubbering mess if that wasn't the case. I'm amazed at your nerve, really. You didn't
even think of me as a threat, did you?"
As the night deepened, more and more truths came to light under the cover of darkness and in the
company of wine. Sam had admitted aloud that he had also held feelings for Anne before. It was not
something he had meant to happen. It just did, and he had no control over it. She was a stubborn
woman, denying even to herself that she loved Kevin. There was a time when he had wanted to take
advantage of that denial and ask her to be with him instead.
"Ha-ha, you finally admitted it. You underestimate me, Sam. I know you like the back of my own hand. I
could tell that you had feelings for her. Unlucky for you, I won," Kevin said as he chuckled, even as the
air around them thickened.
Sam just sneered. "You shameless bastard. Anne likes you. That alone makes it impossible for me to
win."
"So what? Anne is destined to be with me. And as for you, just marry Emily already."
Two pairs of eyes met each other under the weight of their own confessions and even more words that
they had left unspoken. After a silent beat, they broke off into smiles, no longer needing explanations,
or gratitude, or apologies. Wordlessly, the two men understood and returned to drinking, a quiet
comfort settling over them like a strong wind blowing away dark clouds.
They were lost in thoughts of the ones they loved, their lips curved with faint smiles. Suddenly, a
snicker came from Kevin, breaking their peaceful musings.
"Kevin, what is it now?" Sam asked.
This could not be good. He knew from experience that his bastard of a friend was thinking of something
troublesome.
And of course, he wasn't wrong. Kevin's next words only confirmed what he already knew. "Sam, don't
you think that the relationship between Mark and Rose is too smooth?"
At his words, a disdainful smile appeared on Sam's face, even as he shook his head. "Kevin, you are a
spawn of the devil. You just couldn't bear to see other people's happiness, could you? Doesn't it ever
cross your mind that if it weren't for you, they would have gotten married earlier?"
"Then, I should give him a big gift." Kevin suddenly raised his brows and looked at Sam. Instinctively,
Sam knew two things: one, that Kevin was up to no good; and two, that there was no stopping him.
"What's your plan?" Sam asked. He might as well join him if he couldn't stop him. The two began to
whisper and discuss what their "present" would be.
The day of the wedding came.
Everything was faring well. It was as if the sky had blessed this day with fine weather. The sky shone
blue, with a few wisps of clouds floating across.
The M Group was a big company, so naturally, there was a lot of attention on them.
Rose was a vision as she stood in the middle of the crowd in a white wedding dress. Mark looked
equally dashing in his bridegroom's suit. The two were looking at each other, the picture of perfect
romance.
The ceremony was more than half finished. For such a family as theirs, weddings were always long
and grand. It was customary for the best man and the bridesmaid to play tricks on the new couple, but
in fact, no one had done anything outrageous.
That was, until today.
Kevin stood beside Anne with his eyes gleaming of mischief. He held her hands tightly and looked over
at Sam and gave him a shit-eating grin.
Sam got his message loud and clear and widened his eyes at him sternly in an attempt to hold him
back. This could not end well.
"Wait!" In his panic, Sam's voice came out a little too loud and abrupt.
The next moment, everyone's eyes were focused on him, their confusion evident. It seemed that Sam
had something to say.
He didn't really have anything to do with Rose and Mark, so it came as a surprise that he suddenly
wanted to say something now. The guests continued to look at him, waiting for him to speak.
An awkward stretch of silence passed, and Mark, instead of showing any impatience, asked politely,
"What's wrong?"
Sam was conflicted about what to do next. On one hand, he thought it improper for him and Kevin to
stir up trouble, and on a wedding no less, but he could no longer back down at Kevin's expectant face.
The man might as well have held him at gunpoint, damn him. He comforted himself by repeating again
and again that it was only a joke and it wasn't supposed to be a big deal. They were merely keeping
tradition, just in a livelier way.
"Don't you think this wedding is a little too quiet?" Sam said against his will.
At his words, Anne looked around and saw the room filled with people. There were hundreds of guests.
What on earth was Sam up to?
Mark, on the other hand, did not appear fazed in the slightest. "I'm sure you can see that the room is
full of people. May I ask why you think so?" he asked with a smile.
If there was anything Sam was good at, it was adapting to circumstances. He smiled and said, "Indeed,
there are many people here today. But Mr. Mark, the best man team haven't enjoy themselves to the
full yet, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, Mr. Mark. There has only been a few activities," the guests started to talk among themselves.
All of a sudden, the atmosphere on the stage became much more relaxed. Emily breathed out a sigh of
relief, thinking that the groomsmen were only going along with customs.
"In that case, what would you suggest?" Mark asked, keeping the smile on his face.
At his question, Sam took out a piece of paper from his pocket that had his notes.
There were only four or five bullets. The first few suggestions were helpful to liven up the atmosphere,
and the last one was the key point.
After Mark read the contents thoroughly, a small frown appeared on his face. Sam had come well-
prepared. Mark was put on the spot, as he couldn't show any unwillingness at the wedding, not to
mention that there was indeed a custom of playing tricks on the new couple.
"What do you think?" Sam asked with an impish smile. If he was hesitating earlier, he definitely wasn't
anymore.
As Rose saw that the situation had changed, her face darkened. She was about to refuse when she felt
Mark gently squeeze her hand. He refused to be coward in front of his wife.
"Sure, let's do it," he said.
He was sure that Sam had set this up to embarrass him. The task was finding his wife by feeling
among the people only by touch. If he made a mistake, it wasn't only him who would lose face, but also
Rose.
Despite knowing that he was walking willingly into the trap they had set, Mark had resolved not to
disappoint Rose.
"Would you look at that confidence! I'm glad. Then, let's start now, Mr. Mark," Sam said.
At his signal, the curtains were drawn and blocked off light. The wedding hall, which earlier was flooded
with brightness, was now pitch black.
Seeing what happened, Mark cursed to himself. This was definitely unexpected. Sam didn't do things
according to common sense. He had actually started from the last one of the suggestions.
His steps echoed in the darkness along with the sounds of someone passing by, but he had no idea
where Rose was.
It wasn't easy to look for a single person among hundreds others just by touch.
Kevin and Anne had left earlier and were sitting on one corner, separated from the others.
However, Anne's curiosity was winning over. With everyone else participating, she thought it was
interesting and wanted to go, but she was pulled back by Kevin.
"Don't go," Kevin said seriously.
"Why not?" Anne asked with dissatisfaction.
"You are pregnant. What if you accidentally fall?" Kevin reasoned.
"If you have time to worry then worry about Mark. What if he can't find Rose? You and your evil tricks.
To think that you scolded Eddy for playing tricks too. You're much worse than your son, you know?"
Anne complained.
"How are you so sure it was my idea?" Kevin asked, surprised and curious at how Anne found him out.
Anne rolled her eyes and said, "Sam wouldn't even think of doing this alone. It could only be you who
asked him to do it."
"It was all Sam. I didn’t have anything to do with it." As soon as Kevin finished his words, he winced at
the tightening of Anne's hand around his.
"I just had a brief discussion with Sam," Kevin corrected.
Anne's grip tightened even more. "Come again?" Anne challenged.
Kevin didn't know where his delicate wife suddenly found the strength to squeeze the life from his poor
hand. His wince grew into a grimace. She was still not stopping. It was then that he decided now was a
good time to come clean.
"Alright. Okay. I was in on it," he admitted. At once, Anne's hand relaxed. Kevin shook the feeling back
into his hand. "I just wanted to entertain everyone. Let's just watch," he continued as he put his arm
around Anne's shoulder.
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